Spending Increases = Cuts

Rep. Tim Solobay issues the first press release calling spending increases "cuts" (though several House Democrats did so in the floor debate):

"The Senate removed millions from education" - Education spending would increase by $380,383,000 over last years budget.

"The Senate removed millions for our public libraries" - Library spending (State Library, Public Library Subsidy, Library Access, Electronic Library Catalog, Library Services for Visually Impaired and Disabled) would increase by $397,000 - none of the line items would be cut from last year.

"The Senate removed millions from important job training programs that help to keep people off the welfare rolls" - the Senate budget does cut $1.8 million from "job training programs" from PDE from last year - but this is also $3.5 million more than the Governor requested (and the House passed earlier). And "important" programs that "keep people off the welfare rolls"? HA! Tell me about Paul Bunyan while your at it. The programs are welfare - Corporate Welfare, and haven't been successful at improving our economy, resulting in job growth, or reducing welfare rolls (in fact, welfare has increased under Rendell).

"The Senate’s bare-bones budget would result in more taxes for Pennsylvanians" - Come Again? An $899 million increase is "bare-bones" and we need to spend more to keep taxes down?

Just another example of Orwell's Harrisburg.